booktalesy Chapter 3 Survival by Cutting Off the Tail
Chapter 3 Survival by Cutting Off the Tail
The conference room in the annex was filled with a suffocating smell of tobacco.
This is the central place where the Saionji family decides the fate of the family. The walls are covered with portraits of the heads of the family throughout the generations. The men in the portraits, dressed in old-fashioned formal attire or military uniforms, are scrutinizing their descendants sitting around the long table with stern eyes.
On either side of the long rosewood table sat seven or eight men. Most of them were older, dressed in brocade haori or dark double-breasted suits, their faces bearing a unique expression that mixed arrogance and anxiety.
The air was so heavy it seemed like it could drip water.
"This is utter nonsense!"
A roar shattered the silence. Kenjiro Saionji slammed his hand on the table, causing a few drops of tea to spill from the teacup in front of him.
He stood up, his tie slightly askew, and a fine layer of sweat beaded on his forehead.
"Big brother! No, patriarch!" Kenjiro pointed at the unsigned document in front of Shuichi, his voice shrill with agitation. "The bank only gave us an ultimatum: sign it or cancel it. Now they're saying they want to 'suspend' it? Do you know what that means? It means we're spitting out the meat that's practically in our mouths to feed the dogs!"
At the end of the long table, Shuichi Saionji sat at the head of the table.
He held a folding fan in his hand, tapping it lightly against his palm, his face expressionless. But the insomnia of the past few days had made his eye sockets sunken, revealing a hint of gloom.
"Kenshiro, watch your attitude." Shuichi's voice wasn't loud, but it carried a chill. "This is a family meeting, not a fish stall at Tsukiji Market."
"Attitude? Is this the time to talk about attitude?"
Kenshiro wouldn't listen to a word. He looked around at the clan elders present, trying to find allies.
"Uncles and elders, you be the judge. The factory in Osaka is operating at full capacity, and orders from the Americans are pouring in like snowflakes. If we expand production, next year's dividends will at least double! But now the head of the family says he wants to... to wait and see? He wants to recoup funds? Isn't this pushing the family to the brink of ruin?"
An elder with a white beard coughed twice, his cloudy eyes looking at Shuichi: "Shuichi, Kenjiro's words may be rough, but the reasoning is sound. The current market conditions are indeed a good time to engage in manufacturing. If we don't expand production, our market share will soon be devoured by Mitsubishi and Mitsui. Aren't you... being too cautious?"
Shuichi fell silent.
He felt a deep weariness. This was the tragedy of the old Chinese, a group of people who lay on the laurels of their ancestors, their eyes fixed only on their own small plot of land. They could not see the storm gathering on the other side of the Pacific, they could only hear the clinking of coins in their pockets.
If he forcefully rejects the proposal, this group will definitely cause an uproar, and may even jointly demand a family meeting to impeach him. Although he might not lose his position as head of the family, he will certainly suffer a major blow.
Just when the situation was about to reach a stalemate.
"Um... the tea's gotten cold. Would you like some hot tea for us uncles?"
A crisp, soft sound, completely out of place in this room filled with the smell of smoke, rang out.
Everyone's gaze instinctively shifted to the corner of the room.
There sat a chair with a velvet cushion, where 12-year-old Satsuki Saionji sat quietly. She wore a dark blue sailor uniform with white stockings under her pleated skirt, and held a teddy bear that seemed somewhat out of place in the occasion.
As the only daughter of the Saionji family, after her mother's death, Shuichi specially arranged for her to sit in on family meetings, ostensibly for "indoctrination," but in reality to establish her status as the sole heir.
For the past half hour, she had been so quiet, like a delicate doll, that everyone had overlooked her presence.
Kenjiro frowned and waved his hand impatiently: "Satsuki, the adults are discussing important matters, don't disturb them. Have a servant bring tea."
"But..." Satsuki hugged the teddy bear, blinked her big eyes, and looked at Kenshiro innocently. "Uncle seems to be working very hard. Uncle wants to build that big factory so much so that the Saionji family can become even more powerful, right?"
Kenshiro paused for a moment, then puffed out his chest: "Of course! I'm doing this for the family!"
Satsuki tilted her head, as if she had suddenly thought of a brilliant idea, and two shallow dimples appeared at the corners of her mouth.
"In that case, why doesn't Father give all this hard work to Uncle?"
The entire room fell silent for a second.
Shuichi's fingers, which were holding the folding fan, paused slightly, and his gaze instantly swept sharply towards his daughter.
Satsuki seemed completely oblivious to her father's gaze. She jumped off the chair, walked to the long table, and continued speaking in an innocent and carefree tone:
"I heard my teacher say at school that those who are capable should be given more work. Uncle is so talented and confident, if Father always tries to control him, Uncle will feel like he can't fully utilize his abilities, right?"
She turned to look at Xiu Yi, who was sitting in the main seat, her voice cloyingly sweet: "Father, didn't you say you weren't feeling well lately and didn't want to overwork yourself? Then why don't you just leave that new factory... um, let's call it independent operation? Let Uncle take full charge of it."
"As long as Father puts a word with the bank and acts as a guarantor for Uncle, the rest—the money earned and the honors—can all be taken by Uncle. Wouldn't that be better?"
After he finished speaking, an eerie silence fell over the conference room.
Everyone's mind was racing, trying to decipher the meaning behind this seemingly innocent remark.
For the clan elders, this seemed like a good compromise: it would not interfere with making money and could also quell the dispute.
For Kenshiro, this was like a windfall!
Independent operation? Full responsibility?
What does this mean? It means he will have his own independent territory within the family! If the new factory succeeds and he controls the core financial resources, he might even have the opportunity to sideline Shuichi and become the de facto ruler of the Saionji family.
Greed instantly consumed reason.
Kenshiro's breathing quickened, his eyes flashing with fanaticism. He looked at Shuichi and tentatively asked, "Brother... Satsuki has reminded me. If you really don't want to get involved, I can reluctantly..."
Shuichi looked at his expectant younger brother, then at his daughter standing beside him, stroking the teddy bear's ears.
Based on his conversation with his daughter in the study last night, Shuichi suddenly had a bold guess…
Shuichi inwardly gasped.
That was a ruthless move.
This is called "cutting".
If my daughter's earlier prediction holds true—that the yen's appreciation is imminent and export-oriented industries are doomed—then this new factory is a Titanic destined to sink.
Now, Satsuki not only gave the ticket to Kenjiro, but also made him feel like he had gotten a huge advantage.
If the factory goes bankrupt, the huge debt will fall directly on the branch company that Kenshiro is in charge of. Although the head office will have joint liability as the guarantor, legally and morally, Kenshiro will become the "sinner who squandered the family fortune," never to recover.
To kill someone with a borrowed knife, without shedding blood.
At that moment, Satsuki slightly raised her head, and the father and daughter's eyes met for a moment before naturally looking away.
"This..." Xiu Yi understood immediately, feigning hesitation with a furrowed brow. "Kenshiro, this is no joke. Can you handle a 5 billion yen pie by yourself?"
"I can handle it! Of course I can handle it!" Kenjiro, afraid that Shuichi might change his mind, hurriedly patted his chest. "I've worked in the family business for twenty years. What haven't I seen? Brother, just focus on getting better and leave this responsibility to me!"
The elders chimed in, "Yes, Xiu Yi, give the young man a chance."
Shuichi sighed deeply, as if he had made a huge concession.
"All right."
He picked up his pen and signed the document, but not in the "primary borrower" column. Instead, he signed in the "guarantor" column and quickly added a note next to it about "independent management rights and debt liability division".
"Since everyone says so, then it's settled." Shuichi pushed the documents to Kenshiro, his eyes filled with complex emotions. "Kenshiro, this family... will depend on you from now on."
Kenjiro picked up the document as if it were a priceless treasure, his smile almost reaching his ears. He vigorously ruffled Satsuki's hair: "Haha! Satsuki is so sensible! When Uncle makes money in the future, I'll buy you the most beautiful dress in all of Tokyo!"
Satsuki's hair was ruffled, but she showed no displeasure.
She tilted her head back, her smile as radiant as the April sunshine.
"Thank you, Uncle. You must keep up the good work!"
Go ahead and die, dear uncle.